January 29, 2009

Lincoln on Leadership: Strategies for Tough Times.

Best selling author Donald Phillips spoke at the Gerald R. Ford Museum in Grand Rapids, Michigan, at an event organized by the Hauenstein Center for Presidential Studies at Grand Valley State University.

Even before Abraham Lincoln’s inauguration, seven Southern states had seceded from the Union. Four more states would secede following the attack on Fort Sumter, taking all federal agencies, forts, and arsenals within their territory. To make matters worse, Lincoln, who was elected by a plurality of the popular vote, was viewed by his own advisors as nothing more than a gawky, second-rate, country lawyer with no leadership experience. Phillips examined the diverse leadership abilities that helped Lincoln succeed in tough times, and how they can be applied to our Unique challenges today.